Giving every £ a job

EssexHebridean

Lovely shopping from home wins there! 

As for ice cream flavours, my Dad's favourite was always rum & raisin, and while it's not one I have often I do occasionally have some if I see it. I LOVE a coconut flavour too, so your coconut and rum flavour would have been right up my street! As far as bananas go though, I am one of those people who loves a banana, but can't bear anything "banana flavoured"! 

Blackcats

Hello @weenancyinAmerica - well it is also somewhat of a surprise to me that I found my shopping from home items!  Because I have only recently stopped working I have done a first round of tidying my office and clearing work related papers so the items had recently surfaced.  I'm not usually that organised, although I'd very much like to be.  I read an article that was encouraging us to have a place for everything and everything in its place.  It said that no-one ever mislays their kettle when they need it!

Yesterday I had a last minute request to pick up a granddaughter from school as the usual arrangements had gone wrong.  It was great to be able to help out and we had a lovely MSE evening together.  We baked melting moment biscuits and fussy eating child tried coconut for the first time and declared it to be nice.  We laid the table with pretty mats, put the biscuits on a cake stand, put out a tea pot and tea cups so that when her dad arrived we could have a tea party,  Then, after months of trying, granddaughter got the hang of crochet.  She had mastered the art of simple chains and every family member and friend has got a chained friendship bracelet and yesterday she was able to do trebles.  I've started her on a granny square.  Minimal money spent as all cooking ingredients were in stock and wool was from my stash.  No cost for a priceless few hours.

CRANKY40

Your grandaughter is so lucky to have you take the time to pass on your skills to her. My nana taught me to crochet and many, many years later I still crochet. I'm looking at amigurumi crochet tutorials on youtube this week. I made the HT a duck with a frog hat on Thursday eveining. Amigurumi are all small things so they're a quick win. 

Nana also taught me how to bake and the mince pies that I make to her recipe are very much in demand every year at Christmas. Maybe you'll see more of your grandaughter now you're retired? 

Sun_Addict

Sounds like you had a lovely time with your granddaughter 🙂

weenancyinAmerica

My grandmother taught me how to knit and crochet and to sew- basic only. But I still do not understand why she taught me but not my sister - who was only two years younger than me. My sister never was taught homemaking sills by my grandmother. I don' know where my sister was at the time. I was basically from when I was 4 until I was 7. I've tried to figure out what was happening that I was the only one at my grandparents' house. My other grandparents lived further away so my sister couldn't have been there. Maybe I was too much trouble at home some days. Family riddle never to be solved.

Cheery_Daff

weenancyinAmerica said:

My grandmother taught me how to knit and crochet and to sew- basic only. But I still do not understand why she taught me but not my sister - who was only two years younger than me. My sister never was taught homemaking sills by my grandmother. I don' know where my sister was at the time. I was basically from when I was 4 until I was 7. I've tried to figure out what was happening that I was the only one at my grandparents' house. My other grandparents lived further away so my sister couldn't have been there. Maybe I was too much trouble at home some days. Family riddle never to be solved.

Maybe you had solo trips to see your Grandmother? We did, sometimes - nice for mum to spend some time with just one of us, and for grandparents too. So maybe your sister did at that time as well, but as she would have only been 2-5, maybe that was a bit young for sewing and they did other things? Or maybe your sister expressed an intense dislike for sewing at that point and since forgot. Just guessing of course!

Blackcats

@CRANKY40 - you are very kind - I feel pleased to be able to help the grandchildren.  Both my mum and my Nan ran out of patience trying to teach me to knit but one of the lovely helpers at my Brownies pack managed to teach me.  The theory is that I was unable to flounce off or get stroppy at brownies.  
@weenancyinAmerica - interesting about your sister.  I think there are so many nuances in our childhoods that we were oblivious to. @Cheery_Daff has made some good guesses.

we listed an item on freecycle yesterday which was collected this evening.  A bit more space in our garage and hopefully the recipient will enjoy the item.

a savings product matured today and I've re-invested the proceeds for 1 year at 5,6%.  This is my ongoing plan of maximising my pension lump sum and is a very satisfying way of making £'s.  Whilst interest rates are high this will continue to be our strategy.

cashed out £32.15 today from PA .  I'm now cashing out mid month so I have the pleasure of adding funds to savings during the financially quiet time of the month.  Of course a few more responses were approved as soon as I cashed out but that's a good start to this month.

mr BC has made a madras for tea using leftover meat from yesterday - I know it will be hot and spicy as he has a very high threshold for heat - his curry of choice is chicken vindaloo, naga hot 🔥.  Using leftovers will help the grocery budget.

Blackcats

Opted into the Octopus energy saving hour today - we were going to be out of the house anyway for that hour so that was an easy money saving win.

Blackcats

A relatively low spend weekend here.  Home made fish pie using freezer fish and topped with mash made from - well bits and bobs from the veg basket,  I think the technical cheffy term is " colourful mixed root vegetable mash"
There was enough pie for 2 nights and I made a lemon drizzle cake before the pie went into the oven.  Lemon drizzle with a hint of smoked haddock is never going to get me a Hollywood handshake.  

Filled up with petrol at cheapest local garage and used leisure centre membership for a very nice early evening swim.
We got up early to watch the Las Vegas Grand Prix with bake at home croissants (retrieved from depths of freezer) and a pot of excellent coffee.  When the alarm went off at 5.40 I wondered why it had seemed a good idea but we both enjoyed our very early morning,

PennysIntoPounds

I'll house swap you if your idea of a good time is deliberately getting up at 540am 😂

Food sounds lush